How to add a signature in Outlook, plus templates you can copy

Add a signature in the new Outlook for Windows

1. Select Settings (the cog), then Accounts → Signatures. If you have more than one account, pick the one the signature is for.
2. Select Add signature and give it a name.
3. Type your signature in the box and format it.
4. Use the tick boxes to add it automatically to new messages and to replies and forwards, then Save.

To add a saved signature to one message, select Signature in the Insert group of the Message tab while writing.

Add a signature in classic Outlook for Windows

1. Open a new email.
2. On the Message menu, select Signature → Signatures.
3. In the E-mail account box, choose the account. Each account can have its own signature.
4. Under Select signature to edit, choose New and name it.
5. Type your signature under Edit signature. For tables or more complex layouts, build it in Word and paste it in.
6. Under Choose default signature, pick it for New messages and, if you like, Replies/forwards. Select OK.

Classic Outlook keeps signatures on the computer they were made on. On a new PC, or a second one, you will need to set it up again — or copy the files from %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Signatures.

Add a signature in Outlook on the web

1. Select Settings at the top of the page, then Accounts → Signatures.
2. Select Add signature, name it, type and format it.
3. Choose whether to add it to new messages and replies, then Save.

Outlook on the web — including webmail on hosted Exchange — keeps its own signature separate from the desktop app. The Outlook mobile app has its own signature setting too, in the app’s settings.

What to put in a business signature

• Name and role, so people know who they are dealing with.
• Company name and a phone number as text, so it can be tapped on a phone and still shows when images are blocked.
• Website, written plainly.
• For limited companies: the registered name, company number, where it is registered and the registered office. These are required on business letters, order forms and websites, and most companies treat email the same way.

Leave out long legal disclaimers, inspirational quotes and large images. A small logo is fine; a signature that is one big picture shows up as an attachment or a blank box for many recipients.

Email signature templates

Copy one, swap in your details, and paste it into the signature box. The names and numbers below are examples.

Simple

Most people, most of the time.

UK limited company

Adds the company details limited companies show on letters and websites.

Sole trader or tradesperson

Short, with the number customers actually ring.

With a booking link

Clinics, consultants and anyone who takes appointments.

Short reply signature

For replies and forwards, so long threads stay readable.

If your signature looks wrong

• Logo shows as an attachment: recipients’ email apps vary. Keep the logo small, or leave it out of reply signatures.
• Spacing doubles when pasted: paste as plain text (Ctrl + Shift + V in the new Outlook and Outlook on the web), then reformat in the signature editor.
• Signature missing on replies: set the Replies/forwards default as well as New messages.
• Different signature on your phone: each app has its own setting — update them all after a change.

Sources

• Microsoft Support: How to add and change an email signature in Outlook
• GOV.UK: Running a limited company — signs, stationery and promotional material